


Better Than New

by Brumeier



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Nanites, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7652743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny suffers major injuries on a case, and Steve has to deal with the fallout when he makes a radical decision to save Danny's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Than New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smiles2go](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiles2go/gifts).



> A sort-of crossover with the Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, but none of those characters appear here.

Danny had only been gone ten minutes to pick up lunch when he called, in the middle of pursuing one of their suspects in a robbery-turned-murder. Steve immediately jumped in his truck and roared off to provide Danny with backup, Kono strapped into the passenger seat. Chin stayed behind to coordinate with HPD and track the Camaro; with his help it didn’t take long for Steve to catch up to his partner. He had Kono put Danny on speaker phone.

“Danny, we’re coming up behind you.”

_About time, Pokey Puppy. Thought you were gonna miss the fun._ The tension in Danny’s voice belied the joking words. 

The blue Impala they were chasing, owned by one Carl Bedloe, was driving erratically, crossing the center line repeatedly and often slamming on the brakes; Danny and Steve narrowly avoided several collisions with each other.

_I’m done with this._ Danny’s voice crackled over the phone. _I’m gonna pull ahead and stop this asshole before he hurts someone._

“Danny…” Steve started to say, but it was too late. The Camaro lurched forward as Danny stomped on the gas and started pulling around the Impala on the left. Bedloe veered in the same direction and Steve held his breath when Danny almost went off the road.

“That _lolo_ must be on something,” Kono observed, her eyes never leaving the cars in front of them. Steve nodded his agreement.

Danny finally pulled out in front of the Impala and put as much space between himself and Bedloe as he could before hitting the brakes and spinning his car to block both lanes of traffic. Steve saw him reach for his gun and waited for the tail lights of the Impala to flash on, but they never did. Instead Bedloe seemed to put everything he had on that gas pedal and Steve could only watch in horror as blue car met silver at full speed.

The Camaro went airborne even as the other car accordioned in on itself. All Steve could see was twisted metal as it came back down, the momentum propelling it off the road and down the incline on the right. It rolled once before fetching up against a tree, and all he could do was sit there with his foot on the brake and ice clutching at his gut.

“Officer down! Repeat, we have an officer down!” Kono yelled into her phone. She requested immediate assistance, an ambulance, and for Chin to get his ass there as soon as possible.

Steve missed most of the exchange. Snapping back into action, he spun the steering wheel, tires squealing as he pulled over to the shoulder. He left it running while he took off for the smoldering ruins of Danny’s car. The air was thick with the smell of burned rubber, hot metal, and leaking automotive fluids; the engine made a regular ticking sound beneath the crumpled hood. The Camaro had ended up lying passenger side down and Steve quickly scaled the side of it, heedless of the jagged pieces of metal that cut at his hands. They’d need the jaws of life to get the driver’s side door open.

“Danny! Danny, can you hear me?”

There was no answer. Steve finally got a visual on his partner and for a long moment he stopped breathing. Danny was hanging sideways in the seat belt like a broken doll, the smell of blood thick and coppery. Head wounds, Steve knew, often bled profusely. But his sharp eyes saw an arm jutting at an odd angle and his keen ears heard wet, labored breathing. A wave of icy fear washed over him; this was no EMT patch job.

“God,” he whispered. “Danny.”

*o*o*o*

Steve poked at his salad, pushing limp lettuce around the black plastic bowl without enthusiasm. He hated hospital food, but it had been a welcome distraction from the waiting room. Danny had been in surgery for over six hours and there was no telling when a doctor would show up to tell him what was going on. Steve had ridden in the ambulance – there had been no keeping him out of it – so he had some idea of the trauma his partner’s body had suffered.

The airbag had failed to deploy, so there had been nothing to protect Danny’s head from the impact. Both of his legs and his left arm had likely sustained multiple fractures, and something had embedded itself in Danny’s right eye. There had been no way of knowing what his internal injuries consisted of, apart from a punctured lung, and Steve tried to take comfort in the fact that his partner had survived the crash at all, much less the trip to the hospital.

He looked down at his own hands, bandaged from where he’d cut them climbing up the side of the car. Chin had forced him to get looked at while Danny was whisked away to the OR, though he’d refused any painkillers for the throbbing in his palms, not even Tylenol.

“That’s one sad looking salad, Boss.” Kono sat across from him, her elbows on the table. She’d slept for a little while on one of the waiting room loveseats but her eyes were still shadowed, her mouth pinched. Steve wondered if she kept seeing the Camaro flying through the air the way he did whenever he closed his eyes.

“Grace is overseas,” he said in a quiet monotone. “Visiting her grandmother in London. What if…if she doesn’t get to…”

“Danny’s tough,” Kono said, her voice holding a conviction that Steve didn’t feel. “He’s survived _you_ all this time, hasn’t he?”

As a joke it wasn’t much, but Steve gave her a small smile for her efforts. He wanted to believe his friend was indestructible, but he just kept visualizing Danny hanging in that seatbelt, his life’s blood draining away. 

It was another two and a half hours before they finally got news. Steve was on his feet as soon as he caught sight of the doctor, and he was quickly joined by Chin and Kono; they bracketed him as if to offer physical support if it was needed.

“You’re here for Detective Williams?” the doctor asked. He was an older man, balding and thin, and Steve couldn’t take his eyes off the blood on his light blue scrubs. 

“Yes, I’m Steve McGarrett, Danny’s health proxy.”

“I’m Dr. Masters. I’m part of Detective Williams’ surgery team.”

“How is he?” Kono asked, grabbing Steve’s hand. 

“Perhaps we should sit down.”

*o*o*o*

Steve stood for a long time at the foot of Danny’s bed. His room in the ICU was small and completely fronted with glass, but very quiet. Even the various machines he was plugged into provided nothing more than faint background noise, though maybe that was just the roaring in Steve’s ears drowning everything else out.

Danny was barely visible in the bed, hidden under gauze and plaster and countless wires and tubes – PICC line, IV, foley catheter, ventilator. Steve visually inspected his partner, matching what he could see to the long list of injuries the doctor had given him.

Danny’s right leg was casted from thigh to calf. _Fractured femur_. The left leg was wrapped in gauze that sprouted metal screws and rods. _Open fracture of the tibia and soft tissue damage. Tibial plateau fracture_. There were also screws beneath the skin, he knew, holding the bones just below his knee together. 

_Hairline fracture of the pelvis_. That injury was hidden beneath the thin hospital blanket that covered Danny’s midsection. There were others there, too. _Removed his damaged spleen. Internal bruising_. His ribs were tightly wrapped. _Two fractured ribs on the left, one of which punctured his lung._

Danny’s right arm had come through mostly unscathed, just a few stitches to close up minor lacerations. His left arm was casted from wrist to shoulder, and two of his fingers were splinted. _Ulna fractured in two places, and a stress fracture to the humerus. Fractured wrist._

There was a cervical collar around Danny’s neck, keeping his spine aligned. Dr. Masters said they couldn’t be sure of any spinal injuries until the swelling went down, and the collar was merely precautionary. An MRI would be scheduled in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours to see what was happening there.

Danny’s head was the worst of it; Steve blinked away the tears that burned at the corner of his eyes. His partner’s face was swollen and bruised, his nose broken. There was a thick pad over his right eye. _Penetrating eye injury. We may be able to save the eye but in all likelihood he’ll suffer total loss of vision on that side_. That one injury alone was enough for Danny to have to turn in his badge, and the thought of that made pain bloom in Steve’s chest.

Someone had hastily shaved Danny’s head, his crowning glory gone; all that remained was uneven blond fuzz. A tube ran from his scalp to yet another monitor. _An external ventricular drain was put in to help relieve the swelling in his brain_. Whatever else was happening inside Danny’s fractured skull was a mystery, and would remain so until the swelling went down and he was removed from sedation. Dr. Tan, the neurologist, had used terms like _traumatic brain injury_ and _cranioplasty_. All that mattered was that even if he could overcome his other injuries, Danny might not be the same man he was when he got up that morning.

Finally Steve was able to move forward. He dragged a chair to the side of the bed. Dr. Tan had encouraged him to talk to Danny, let him hear a familiar voice. Steve gently took his partner’s hand in his, being careful of the IV and the pulse oximeter.

“Hey, Danno.” Steve swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I guess this means you can’t complain about my driving anymore.”

He couldn’t help but wonder what else his friend wouldn’t be doing from now on. Living pain free? Making quick, snappy remarks?

“We’re gonna get through this, I promise. You’re not alone, okay? No matter what happens.” Steve settled himself in for the long haul. “I’m not going anywhere, Danno. They’ll have to blast me out of here with C4.”

The staff had made token protests, but they knew by now that one Five-0 member in the hospital meant all of them. And they were tired of fielding calls from the Governor when Steve didn’t get his way.

“You stay with me, okay?” He rubbed his free hand across his eyes, swamped with regret for all the things he’d never told Danny. Things he wanted another chance to say. “Just stay with me.”

*o*o*o*

Steve had gone down to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee that didn’t originate in a vending machine, and when he returned to the ICU there were strangers in Danny’s room. He quickly assessed them through the glass: two suits, one man and one woman. The man stood back against the wall, arms crossed, and watched as his compatriot, dressed in a ridiculously bright green pants suit, poked and prodded at Danny. Steve was about to burst in there when Chin grabbed his arm at the elbow in a vice grip and forcibly steered him away.

“What the hell?” Steve winced as hot coffee sloshed out on his hand, soaking into the gauze there. “No-one’s supposed to be in there! Danny –”

“Will be fine,” Chin said. “Let’s go outside.”

It wasn’t a suggestion but Steve was sleep-deprived and not exactly at the top of his game. He allowed himself to be led out to a small courtyard and deposited on a wooden bench.

“Chin,” he growled.

“Take it easy, Steve.” Chin held up his hands and sat next to his boss on the bench. “I called them in, to see if there was anything they could do.”

Steve couldn’t help bristling at that. Who was Chin to make that kind of decision? “ _Who_ are they?”

“Friends of a friend. Jared Goldman, he’s –”

“He’s the director of the OSI,” Steve interrupted, pulling the information from his mental database. “Why the hell would _he_ be here?”

“He can help Danny. Maybe.”

“Help him how? He’s a suit.” And it wasn’t like the Office of Strategic Intelligence would have a vested interest in a transplanted cop from Jersey.

“Goldman’s grandfather was a pioneer in the field of bionics. You ever hear of Steve Austin?”

Steve gave Chin a blank stare. “The wrestler?” 

That earned him a sigh and an eye roll. “No, the OSI operative. He was their golden boy back in the seventies. He was a pilot, I think, crashed his plane. The only reason he survived was because of the OSI’s bionic program.”

Steve shook his head. That sounded a lot like grasping at straws, and he was frankly surprised that someone as logical as Chin would even suggest it. The OSI was an intelligence agency, one who sub-contracted with the bigger alphabet agencies: CIA, NSA, FBI. Why would they help Danny, even if they could?

“Just hear them out, Steve, that’s all I’m asking.”

And even if Danny wasn’t at the center of this Steve couldn’t say no; Chin never asked for anything. It wasn’t like they had anything to lose. He was about to say so when Goldman and his female companion appeared. He looked young, early forties maybe, with just a touch of gray dusting through his dark brown hair.

“It’s beautiful here,” the woman said, face raised to the sun. Steve placed her somewhere in her fifties and took a moment to appreciate how her vibrant green suit was tailored to fit her curvaceous body. “LA is so smoggy.”

“Commander McGarrett, I’m Jared Goldman, Director of the OSI.”

Steve stood and shook his hand. He noted that while the other man wore a very expensive suit he had no tie. Was that just for his benefit, to show that the guy was laid back and easily accessible? Steve kept his spine straight, putting all of his military bearing into his body language.

“Mr. Goldman.”

“Please. Just Jared. This is Dr. Pamela Brooks, head of our bionics department.”

Steve shook her hand as well, after insisting on being addressed informally. In turn he introduced Chin, even though his teammate had already spoken with Jared on the phone.

“So what do you think?” Chin asked.

Pamela grinned. “You were right to contact us. Detective Williams is an excellent candidate for the program. Commander McGarrett, as his health proxy you have to agree to having him transferred. I have the paperwork with me.”

Steve frowned. “Transferred? He’s in no condition to be moved.”

“Please trust me, Commander.” Pamela put a slim hand on his shoulder. “I’m _very_ good at what I do. This procedure is Detective Williams’ best chance at reclaiming a normal life.”

“And where would we be going?” Steve asked. Pamela nodded at his use of we.

“Our medical facility in Maricopa. We have state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and the best surgeons in the country.”

Steve wanted to believe that Danny could be fixed, and Pamela sounded so confident. Still, he couldn’t afford to take chances with his best friend’s health and safety. Pamela gave him a speculative look and linked her arm through his.

“The Commander and I are going to take a walk.”

“Good luck,” Jared said solemnly; it wasn’t clear who he was addressing that sentiment to.

“Look, Pamela, I really appreciate you coming all this way –”

“Steve, let me tell you a story.” She tugged him closer as they followed the stone path around the courtyard. “When I was ten my father fell off our roof while he was doing repairs. They said it was a miracle that he escaped with only a broken arm and a fractured skull. Turned out he had a traumatic brain injury and because of that suffered seizures, blurred vision, and aphasia. He’d been a bright, vibrant person before that fall, but he was never the same after. Less than a year later he shot himself in our basement.”

Steve stopped walking, angry, and pulled away from Pamela. “I don’t appreciate you trying to manipulate me. I’m sorry for what happened to your father, but you don’t know that Danny will have any of those problems.”

“No, I don’t. His injures aren’t the same. But I promise you there _will_ be problems. My father is the reason I went into bionics. We’ve helped a lot of people, people like Danny who face a diminished quality of life.” Pamela tugged him back into motion. “Have you heard of Steve Austin?”

“Pilot-turned-agent, right?”

“That’s right. He was injured when he ejected from his plane, and he wouldn’t have lived if not for the bionics program. He went on to be one of OSI’s top agents. He married and had a family.” Pamela stopped under a flowering cherry tree. “The work your team has done has garnered a lot of positive attention, and there’s no denying that Danny is good at his job. The men Jared answers to approved his entry into the program based on his record alone.”

“You can really help him?” That glimmer of hope was back.

“Yes. I can. I won’t lie to you, Steve. The procedure isn’t without risks. Two percent of subjects don’t survive because their bodies reject the implants. Others can’t handle the process on a psychological level. But I feel very strongly that Danny could be one of our success stories.”

Steve appreciated her honesty, though he could’ve done without the stats. He tried to think what Danny would want. Take his chances on a normal recovery and hope for the best? Or try a risky procedure that would allow him to still be a proper father to Grace? If he was honest with himself, Steve had to admit that he’d do almost anything to get his friend back, undamaged.

“I can make him better than new, Steve,” Pamela promised. “But we have to act now or not even my team will be able to help him.”

“Okay,” Steve said, hoping like hell he wasn’t making a mistake. “Okay.”

*o*o*o*

OSI’s Maricopa facility – Caidin Industries – was like a fancy hotel/health spa in the middle of the desert. The medical and science personnel lived on site, so there were apartments, a cafeteria with a full-time chef, exercise facilities, even a little movie theater. Those that lived and worked there joked that they should incorporate since they had a larger population than Maricopa proper.

Steve got to know all of it intimately. He and Danny had flown via private jet, one fully outfitted for Danny’s medical needs. It was a shame he was still in a medically-induced coma and unable to appreciate it. After they arrived Pamela sent Steve off to explore while his partner underwent a detailed physical evaluation. He sent Kono and Chin frequent texts, marveling at the size and comprehensiveness of his new home away from home. He missed the ocean something fierce, but nothing could’ve kept him from Danny’s side.

_Olympic pool. Salt water_. He sent off his latest missive from poolside. At least he could still get in his daily swim. Pamela had told him they’d be at the compound for a minimum of two months if Danny’s surgery was successful. Steve didn’t know how Goldman had cleared that with both the Navy and Governor Denning, but clearly he had a lot of pull.

Before they’d left, Kono had asked what the cost of the procedure was going to be. Chin had merely raised his eyebrows. Steve did his homework, though, and he knew the numbers were astronomical. Austin’s bionics had cost six million dollars back in the seventies, which translated to roughly thirty million with inflation. Factoring in technological advances, he was certain the cost for Danny’s implants would be double that at the very least.

Obviously there was no way for Steve or Danny to pay for that, but Steve was fairly certain the OSI had something else in mind for them. If Danny’s surgery was successful he could be trotted out for fundraisers, and that was only the tip of the iceberg. Austin, who’d been a civilian in the space program, had become one of the OSI’s top operatives; Steve was sure that hadn’t been his choice. And surely Goldman knew that he wouldn’t _just_ get Danny – he’d get the entire team.

Pamela found him in the cactus garden, contemplating a large saguaro. “Good news, Steve! Danny’s definitely in. We’re scheduling his first surgery for tomorrow morning, so you might want to spend some time with him while you can.”

“How many surgeries will there be?”

“A procedure this extensive will be split into two ten-hour sessions. Several surgeons will be working on him at once, including myself. You won’t be able to see him again until it’s completed – he’ll have to be in sterile isolation between sessions.”

Steve didn’t like it but he nodded. “You’ll take good care of him?”

“Someone will be with him around the clock,” Pamela assured him. “I’ll come get you myself when it’s finished.”

“Okay.”

“Come on. I’ll walk you to his room and outline what we’ll be doing.”

They walked slowly through the cactus garden and Pamela explained how she and her team would be rebuilding Danny Williams.

*o*o*o*

“I wish you could tell me if you approve of all this, Danno.” Steve sat at his partner’s bedside, tightly clutching his hand. “Pamela says this is your best chance of getting your life back. And I have to believe that, I really do.”

He knew it was wrong to buy into the company line, knew he wasn’t getting the whole story. But his desire to have Danny back and well was too strong. The thought of having to do the job without his partner by his side, ranting and being his backup, was simply unacceptable.

“You should see how big this place is. It’s a completely self-contained community.” Steve babbled on about everything he’d seen that day, all the while wishing he could take Danny off sedation and have an actual conversation with him. More than assurance that he was making the right decision, Steve wanted to hear Danny’s voice one more time. Just in case.

“I’ll be here when the surgery is done, Danny. When you wake up I’ll be here.” Steve lifted their joined hands and, since no-one was watching, pressed a kiss to Danny’s, right behind his IV. “I’ll be right here waiting.”

*o*o*o*

Steve spent the next two days swimming laps until his muscles burned. Someone had given him a liquid skin treatment for his hands, to keep his wounds dry while he was in the pool. He couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways Danny’s procedure could go horribly wrong. It was incredibly invasive, what they were doing, replacing damaged bones with bionic implants. The whole thing was far more sci-fi than he cared for. There were also the far-reaching implications involved with being beholden to the OSI. Steve didn’t want to be at their beck and call, not when he already had a full-time job keeping the Islands safe.

One last lap and then he levered himself up and out of the pool to towel off. His next stop would be the greenhouse. He liked just walking around in there because it felt more like home than the dry desert ambience in the cactus garden. While he was there, he could send another update to Rachel and Grace, who were keeping in regular contact with him. Rachel was ready to come to Maricopa the second Steve gave her the high sign.

He’d just headed into the corridor that led to the locker rooms when Pamela intercepted him.

“Danny’s out of surgery,” she said with a weary smile. She looked exhausted but pleased, which helped Steve back off the panic that had gripped him when he first laid eyes on her.

“How is he?”

“He did very well, better than I expected. We’re going to keep him under sedation for the next twenty-four hours, which is standard procedure. He’ll be closely monitored for any sign that his body is rejecting the implants.”

“Can I see him?”

“Of course.” Pamela patted him on the arm. “Whenever you’re ready you can head on up to his room. I’ll meet you there and make sure he’s all settled in before I go home.”

“Thanks.” Steve hurried on to the locker room for quick rinse and a change of clothes. He had to force himself not to run to the hospital wing, though it was close. He needed to see for himself that his partner was still hanging in.

The day nurse greeted Steve when he came in. “We’ve set up a sleeping chair in Danny’s room for you.”

“Thanks, Glenda.” The staff had been very accommodating, not raising any fuss when he’d expressed his intention of remaining at Danny’s side.

Despite everything Pamela had told him about the procedure, Steve wasn’t prepared when he walked into Danny’s spacious recovery room. Gone were the casts and external fixators, as well as the c-collar and the EVD tube. He was still connected to the PICC line and the heart monitor, though, and there was some sort of wire running from behind his left ear to a small monitor behind the bed.

“He looks good, doesn’t he?” Pamela asked, startling Steve.

He nodded dumbly. The broken nose didn’t look broken anymore, the bruises were faded and nearly gone, and if not for the shaved head Danny would look like nothing had happened to him at all.

“That’s…how?”

“That’s the anthrocytes. Remember we talked about that? They accelerate healing and were able to put Danny back to rights on a base level.”

Steve remembered. Nanomachines. More sci-fi, but it was impossible to deny the evidence in front of him. He stood at the foot of the bed, watching as Pamela checked all of the monitors and Danny’s connections to them.

“They’ll just stay in there? The, uh…”

“Anthrocytes. Yes. They can handle everything from the common cold to major trauma.”

“Wow.”

Pamela laughed. “Darn right, wow. That should come in especially handy, given your line of work.”

“Unbelievable.”

“It’s pretty cool,” she agreed. “Okay, everything looks good. I’ll check back with you two in the morning.”

Pamela left for some much-deserved sleep and Steve moved to the side of the bed. Danny didn’t look any different on the outside, but inside he was something completely new. Part man, part machine in a crazy comic book way that Steve could hardly wrap his head around.

Danny’s injured eye had been replaced with a synthetic one, hard-wired so that he could see with it. As a bonus, the bionic eye could also switch to a thermal mode – seeing heat signatures. Steve wouldn’t be able to tell how closely they’d matched Danny’s original eye color until they took him off sedation and he woke up.

Though his ears had been undamaged, the left one had been given bionic enhancements as well. Danny would be able to access heightened hearing from that ear, like a built-in parabolic dish. Which, like the eye, was incredibly cool, and Steve could totally see the benefits of on the job. He sat in the chair beside the bed and took Danny’s hand in his. The solid, warm feel of his partner was a comfort, especially in light of all the changes he’d undergone.

The OSI’s team of scientists had developed a synthetic bone that was as sturdy as titanium without any of the extra weight; it also wouldn’t show up on a metal detector or x-ray as being anything but bone. That had been used to repair Danny’s fractured skull, and to replace the broken bones in his left arm and both legs. The anthrocytes worked in conjunction with the implants, improving Danny’s muscle strength and giving him increased speed during foot pursuits. Pamela had explained that without the nanomachines that kind of enhancement would quickly take a toll on Danny’s joints and surrounding tissues.

It was lot to digest, so Steve focused on his partner’s steady breathing. Danny’d beaten the odds just making it this far, and he was confident that the implants wouldn’t be rejected.

“Hey, Danno. You’ve survived two more surgeries. Maybe they should put a zipper in, just in case.” Steve winced at his own words. What the hell was he even saying? “I can’t wait to show you around this place. I’ve sent Chin and Kono so many texts and pictures they probably feel like they’re right here with us. Everyone back home is pulling for you, and Grace said to tell you that she loves you.”

He made a mental note to thank everyone when he and Danny got back to Oahu. He’d have gone crazy with only himself to talk to during the long hours waiting. None of the people who worked at Caidin Industries had approached him, though he’d been on the receiving end of plenty of polite nods and smiles. Well, it wasn’t like he’d gone there to make friends, it wasn’t summer camp.

“You better wake up when they take you off sedation, Danno,” Steve threatened softly. “Even if it’s just to yell at me. Okay?” 

He slouched down in the chair and closed his eyes, and was sound asleep well before the nurse came to check Danny’s monitors.

*o*o*o*

Danny was slow to come around after Pamela took him off sedation, which she was quick to assure Steve was totally normal. The dual traumas of the accident and the surgeries had taken a toll on his system, anthrocytes or no anthrocytes. Steve didn’t leave his side, talking softly to him. Every twitch of Danny’s fingers or flutter of his eyelids had Steve’s heart in his throat, until finally his partner blinked open both eyes.

The bionic eye was a slightly darker blue than the original.

“Steve? I had the weirdest dream.” Danny’s voice was thick and a little slurred, but Steve had never been happier to hear it.

“Nothing compared to your reality, pal,” Steve said. “Welcome back.”

“You must be thirsty,” Pamela said. She held a cup of water with a straw, let Danny take a few sips. 

“Hospital?” Danny asked, and Steve could see the lucidity seeping back in.

Pamela checked the monitors. “I’m Dr. Brooks, Danny. Can you tell me how you’re feeling? Do you have any pain or soreness?”

Danny shifted in the bed, and shook his head. “I feel fine. What happened?”

Steve glanced at Pamela, who nodded. “You were in a vehicular pursuit. Do you remember Carl Bedloe?”

“Can’t you just say car chase?” Danny licked his lips. “Bedloe. Robbery?”

“That’s right,” Steve said encouragingly. “You were trying to keep him from hurting civilians, and he rammed you with his car.”

“My car?” Danny pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Don’t even tell me. How much is the damage? I just had it detailed, for chrissake!”

Steve thought back to the twisted wreck of the Camaro, and barely suppressed a shudder. The car would be easy enough to replace. He couldn’t say the same for Danny.

“The car is totaled, Danny, I’m sorry. You don’t remember any of what happened?”

Danny shook his head.

“That’s perfectly normal,” Pamela said. “Victims of that sort of traumatic event often have no memory of it.”

“I don’t feel like I went through a traumatic event.” Danny looked nervously between Steve and Pamela. “What aren’t you telling me? I feel fine, but there must be something. Do I need a bone marrow transplant or something? Because I heard those are really painful.”

Pamela pulled up a chair. “Danny. This is going to be a lot to take in, and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have. Okay?”

“This sounds bad.” Danny clutched at Steve’s hand.

“It’s not bad,” Steve said. “Well, I mean, it _is_ , but not the way you’re thinking.”

“Maybe you should leave the explaining to me, Steve,” Pamela said with a grin. “Danny. What do you know about bionics?”

*o*o*o*

_You have to be patient, Steven_ , Rachel said. _He hasn’t had as much time as you to take it all in._

“I know.” Steve was sitting in the greenhouse, under the shade of an enormous elephant ear plant. “You didn’t see his face, though. He said I let them turn him into a freak.”

Danny hadn’t reacted well, either to the news of the extensive injuries he’d suffered after the crash or to the OSI’s solution. He’d banned Steve from his hospital room after throwing everything he could get his hands on at him.

_You saved his life. He’ll realize that once the shock’s worn off._

“I did the right thing. Didn’t I?” Steve was no stranger to self-doubt, but what he’d agreed to for Danny’s sake…that couldn’t be undone. What if Danny never forgave him?

_Of course you did, don’t be melodramatic. He’d have done the same, in your position._

Steve nodded, even though he knew Rachel couldn’t see it. Danny always had his back, just like he always had Danny’s.

“Thanks, Rachel,” he said. “Tell Grace to be expecting a call from Danny. Once he stops being mad long enough.”

_Take care of yourself, Steven. You can call anytime you need to talk._

“I will.” Steve ended the call, and then stared down at his cell phone. He’d never thought he’d have a friendly relationship with Danny’s ex-wife, she of the ominous ring tones, but people could be surprising. And she’d given him a glimmer of hope that Danny would understand why Steve had made the choice he did.

Danny always was a stubborn bastard, though, and it was two days before Steve got to see him again.

*o*o*o*

Steve was doing laps in the pool, racing one of the scientists. All he knew about her was her name – Amber – and that she could cut through the water like a marlin on speed. Steve didn’t think he’d pushed himself so hard in the water since BUD/S. He wondered if Amber had some bionics of her own, but didn’t think that was something he could just ask about.

“Good swim, Commander,” Amber said, treading water. “You really gave me a workout today.”

“I think you’ve got that backwards,” Steve replied. There was a not-unpleasant burn in his muscles. “You ever think of becoming a SEAL?”

“And waste this brain on a bunch of grunts with guns? Never.” Amber winked to show that she was kidding, and Steve grinned back at her good-naturedly. “Well, I’ve got a meeting to get to. You have a good day, Commander.”

“You, too.”

Amber gracefully levered herself out of the pool, and padded off to the changing rooms. Steve did another couple of laps, nice and leisurely to keep his muscles from locking up. Daily races aside, he generally had the pool to himself at that time of day, and when he heard the door open he couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed.

“Figured I’d find you here.”

Steve lost his rhythm and went under. When he came back up, sputtering, he saw that Danny was sitting on the edge of the pool, his bare feet in the water. God, he hoped his partner wasn’t going to try and send him back home, because there was no way he was leaving Maricopa without Danny.

“Should you be out of bed already?”

“It’s not like I made a jail break. Pamela knows where I am.”

Steve swam closer, but stayed out of reach. Just in case. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly? Like Daniel Williams 2.0.” Danny flexed his leg, the one with the bum knee. “Not a single twinge. Like that injury never happened. Thinking about making a try for the Yankees.”

Danny was clearly trying for humor, but it didn’t take bionic hearing to detect an underlying bitterness to the words. Steve wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. He sure as hell wasn’t going to apologize for choosing to save Danny’s life; that was a choice he’d never stop making.

“Danny –”

“It has been brought to my attention that I’m being an ungrateful prick,” Danny said, and he looked right at Steve. “I believe Rachel’s exact words were ‘bloody wanker’ but I can’t pull off the accent the way she does. I’m not sure I like the two of you getting all friendly behind my back, by the way.”

“I was just keeping her in the loop,” Steve said. “I didn’t think you’d want Grace to worry.”

Danny’s expression softened at the mention of his daughter, as it always did. “She yelled at me too, thank you very much. And cried. What am I supposed to do about that when she’s six thousand miles away?”

Steve swam to the edge of the pool and heaved himself out, leaving enough space between himself and Danny so his partner wouldn’t get wet.

“Stop doing that!” Danny snapped.

Steve froze in mid-reach for a towel. “Stop what?”

“Are you afraid of me? Is that what this is?”

“What are you talking about?” Steve wondered if he should call Pamela. Danny clearly shouldn’t have been up out of bed so soon after such a major surgery.

“This!” Danny waved his hand in the empty space between them.

“You have a problem with me being considerate?”

“Yes!” Danny jabbed a finger at Steve. “I have a problem with you being considerate. Why now? Is it because of what they did to me? Are you worried I’m going to _hurt_ you, for fuck’s sake?”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Steve snagged a towel and started drying off.

“Oh, I’m being ridiculous?”

“Yes!” Steve felt the anger bubbling up and he was helpless to stop it. Danny had always known just how to push his buttons.

“Unbelievable. You are unbelievable. You let them turn me into a –”

“I let them save your fucking life,” Steve snapped. He balled up the towel and threw it. “Or would you have rather been a half-crippled, brain-damaged, former cop? In pain every day? Unable to take care of yourself, or do the work you were born to do?”

“You don’t know that,” Danny said stubbornly, though some of the blood had drained from his face.

“Yes, actually. I do. And so do Chin and Kono. You think we didn’t do our research? We knew what you were up against. Is this really such a terrible option?”

“Well, I didn’t have a choice, did I?”

Steve found himself inexplicably on the edge of tears, his eyes burning with them. He hopped up to his feet, board shorts sticking to his legs. “If you want an apology you’re not getting one. If I had to do it all over again, I’d make the same choice. You think seeing you like that…you think that’s what I wanted for you? If you’re so unhappy, go ahead and drown yourself in the pool. I’m done.”

He snatched up his shoes and his clothes, and slammed out the door, his throat tight. Fucking Danny. It would serve him right if Steve left him there and went home. 

He made it as far as the stone path between buildings, and then his legs gave out and he was sitting there, his clothes in his lap, and his breath shuddering as he cried. He’d been so strong all week, hadn’t let himself succumb to the riot of emotions he’d felt since Danny’s car had gone flying through the air. He’d been strong for Grace, and for Danny. But he couldn’t do it for himself, not now.

Steve covered his face with his hands, embarrassed but unable to make himself move somewhere more private. He hadn’t cried like that since he’d had to listen to his father die over the phone.

He heard someone coming up behind him and hastily tried to pull himself together. Not that he’d fool anyone into thinking he’d been doing anything but blubbering all over himself.

“Steve?” Danny crouched down next to him and put a tentative hand on the back of his neck.

Of course it would be Danny. Steve blotted his face dry with his t-shirt. “Take your best shot, Danno. I’m wide open here.”

To his surprise, Danny wrapped him in a tight, tight hug. “I’m sorry. I’m an asshole.”

Steve hugged him back, his eyes filling again. Danny, alive and whole and in his arms; it was almost too much. “You really are.”

Danny laughed wetly against his neck. “I don’t mind admitting I’m a little terrified here,” he said, his words muffled.

“I’ve got your back, Danny. Like I always do.”

“Yeah. You always do.” Danny moved back a little, enough so Steve could see his face. He was looking a little rough around the edges. “Thank you. For making sure I’m still me.”

“I love you, you big jerk.” Steve was trying to lighten the mood a little, though even he could hear the weight the words had. Danny got a heated look on his face, and it was the only warning Steve had before Danny was kissing him.

Holy shit, Danny was kissing him!

Steve didn’t even hesitate; he kissed right back, and the slide of Danny’s tongue on his was something he’d only ever dreamed about. He couldn’t pull Danny close enough, and even when the man was sitting in his lap he wanted more. He wanted Danny naked, wanted to familiarize himself with every square inch of Danny’s unbroken, unbruised skin.

Someone was making desperate, whimpering sounds – Steve couldn’t be completely sure he wasn’t doing it himself – and he had his hands on Danny’s head, fingers moving through the velvet fuzz where his poufy hair used to be. 

Danny pulled back and mouthed along Steve’s jawline. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that. Jesus. Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?”

“You sure that’s not the anthro-thingies talking?” Steve asked, half-jokingly.

That earned him an eyeroll, which he could see because Danny sat back, his ass on Steve’s ankles. “Yes, Steven. The nanites made me gay for you. I couldn’t possibly have found your person at all attractive on my own.”

Steve pulled Danny back in for a kiss, and he could feel Danny’s grin curling against his own.

Someone cleared their throat, loudly. “So, everything’s good then?”

Pamela looked down at them, amusement plainly written on her face. Steve shook his head.

“I think we need more time. To hash things out.”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Pamela held her hand out, and tugged Danny to his feet. “You can hash it out later. Danny, we need to get you officially switched on and activated, make sure all the circuits are working properly.”

Steve stood as well, and brushed off the back of his board shorts. “I’ll get changed and meet you over there, okay?”

Danny looked nervous, so Steve reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

“It’ll be fine, Danno. I’ll be right there with you.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Danny said. “You big jerk.”

Steve knew he probably had a goofy expression on his face, but he didn’t care. He saluted Pamela and jogged towards the apartment complex where his room was located.

Life was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

*o*o*o*

**Six Weeks Later**

“Switching to thermal,” Danny said. 

Unless someone was watching closely, they wouldn’t see how Danny’s right eye changed slightly, the pupil enlarging and the iris darkening. But Steve was always watching.

“What do we got?” he asked.

“I’m reading five heat signatures,” Danny said. “Two in the upstairs office, and the other three walking the perimeter.”

“Calloway has to be there, probably in the office.”

Chin nodded. “We have to assume they’re fully armed.”

“Maybe you can get an upgrade for weapons detection, Danny,” Kono said with a smirk.

Danny’s eye returned to normal vision, and he glared at his teammate. “Maybe I’ll upgrade to a laser and fry your ass.”

“Let’s all play nice, children,” Steve said.

It was Danny’s first live field test, a real case with real criminals and real bullets. They needed to show the OSI, who were monitoring, that they could still function as a team and make appropriate use of Danny’s bionic enhancements. Steve was well aware what was at stake, but it only added to the adrenaline rush.

“Danny, you go high. Chin, hit the rear door. Kono and I will go in hot in the front. Constant radio contact.”

Everyone nodded. Steve would never admit it to anyone, but he’d been a little nervous that with Danny being super-powered the team dynamics would shift, and he wouldn’t be seen at the leader of Five-0 anymore. His fears had been groundless, it seemed, because his team was carrying on the way they always did, as if nothing had changed.

“No jumping in front of bullets, you big jerk,” Danny said.

Steve fought down a grin. “You either. We don’t want to break in Dr. Waddimba on the first day.”

The OSI had assigned Dr. Waddimba to be Danny’s personal physician. He would make sure the anthrocytes were working properly and take care of any upgrades to Danny’s specialized implants. And since Danny could still be injured – he’d just recover much more quickly – Dr. Waddimba had an office at Queens and would be on call 24/7 because none of the local doctors knew anything about the bionics.

Steve gave the high sign and they split off, each of them going in a different direction. He had the opportunity to see Danny do a running leap up to the second story fire escape, which was never not going to be awesome, before he and Kono rounded the corner of the warehouse and approached the front door.

He tried the door first, even though he was sure it would be locked. Kono waited, her back pressed against the wall and her weapon in hand, while Steve took aim at the lock. He shot it and kicked the door in.

“Five-0!” he shouted. “We have you surrounded!”

There was a shotgun blast from the rear of the structure, which meant Chin was inside.

_One down_ , he reported over the headset moments later.

Steve motioned Kono to break left while he went right. The space was full of empty shelving units and random bits of debris: broken crates, a rusted metal desk, and lots of empty beer bottles. Not many places to hide.

“Five-0! Freeze!” Kono shouted. “Put it down!”

Presumably the guy complied, because there was no follow-up gunfire. Two down. One more to go on the first floor, and he really wished he knew what was happening upstairs because it was awfully quiet.

One of Calloway’s goons popped up and pushed a shelving unit in Steve’s direction. He dodged out of the way just in time to avoid being taken down, though it did clip his shoulder hard enough to send a spark of pain all the way down his arm. It didn’t him from bringing his weapon to bear, and he found himself looking down the barrel of the goon’s gun.

“Five-0! Drop your weapon!”

“You drop yours, asshole,” the goon snarled.

“Heads up!” Danny called from seemingly right over Steve’s head. 

In the next second there was a scream and Calloway’s second in command, Eddie Chang, fell out of the sky and landed right on Steve’s goon, taking them both down to the floor. The goon was out cold, and Chang was crying about a broken leg, when Steve dodged in to make sure neither of them was armed.

Danny jumped down from what Steve could now see was a catwalk, landing nimbly on his feet. 

“You threw Chang off the catwalk?” Steve asked incredulously, even as he bound the man’s hands with zip ties. “What about your lectures on police brutality?”

“I did not _throw_ him,” Danny said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “We struggled, he fell.”

“And where’s Calloway? You throw him off the roof?”

“Everyone’s a comedian. He’s upstairs, very patiently waiting to be taken to jail.”

“I’m sure.”

They cleared the rest of the warehouse, even though Danny wasn’t reading any additional thermal signatures, and gathered up Calloway and his crew for HPD to take downtown. The only injuries were Chang, who did indeed have a broken leg, and the goon Steve had faced down, who had a concussion. Not a bad day’s work, all things considered.

“So what do you think, Robocop?” Steve asked Danny as they stripped off their vests and stowed them in the new Camaro’s trunk. “Gonna keep using your super powers for good?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Danny gave Steve a heated look. “Although I’m thinking of something right now that could conceivably be classified as naughty.”

“Get a room,” Kono said as she walked past towards her car.

“Planned on it,” Danny replied.

Steve’s pants were getting a little tight. He had no way of knowing if Danny had been such an insatiable lover before the accident, but he was pretty sure his partner hadn’t been anywhere near as flexible as he now was. Which was all to Steve’s benefit.

The trick, Steve had discovered, was keeping things strictly professional at work. He and Danny had agreed to behave as they always did when they were on the clock – no PDAs, no mushy relationship stuff. But that didn’t stop Danny from looking at him like he wanted to devour him sometimes. And it didn’t stop Steve from imagining all the inappropriate places he could bend Danny over in the office.

It had taken Chin and Kono exactly ten minutes to figure out that Steve and Danny’s relationship had changed. Kono had wanted details. Chin had only said, “Good luck. You’ll need it.” Steve still didn’t know which one of them he’d been talking to.

Steve waited until the last of the HPD cruisers was gone and he and Danny were the only ones left in the warehouse parking lot before he pulled his partner in for a very deep, very thorough kiss.

“Did Chang really fall during a struggle?” Steve murmured into Danny’s bionic ear.

Danny nipped at Steve’s earlobe. “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

“You’re such a badass.”

“Learned from the best,” Danny replied. He reached between them, and cupped Steve through his cargo pants. “Let’s go back to your place.”

Steve moaned, and pressed himself against Danny’s hand. “Reports.”

“I’ll write up the report. After you fuck me like the Neanderthal animal I know you are.”

Steve growled, only partially for effect, but that wasn’t a deal he was about to pass up. He hated writing post-case reports. He did love Danny’s ass, though. Almost as much as he loved Danny’s new, cockier attitude, a perk of invulnerability.

“Let’s go, you big jerk,” Steve said. ‘You big jerk’ had become their code for ‘I love you’ when they were out in public.

Danny kissed him again, scraping his teeth on Steve’s bottom lip. “Use the siren.”

Steve was pretty sure he broke land speed records driving home.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** This story was born from another long-ago prompt (we're talking four years ago, people!) from smiles2go. She wanted Danny to get super powers, and Steve to be jealous that he’s no longer the super one on the team. I pondered that for a while before the idea of Danny being the new Bionic Man popped into my head. I hope you like this, Smiles, and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long!
> 
> I have zero knowledge of human biology, particularly how it relates to this story, so I did the best I could with Google. Ditto the bionics stuff, which is a mash up of the old Six Million Dollar Man and the short-lived remake of The Bionic Woman. I’m sure I got stuff wrong. But hopefully not too wrong!
> 
> Super special thanks to nagi_schwarz for the beta, even though this isn’t her fandom. You’re the best!!
> 
> This also fills the Surgery square on my hurt/comfort bingo card.


End file.
